Addis Ababa, 25 March 2025 — The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Moses Vilakati, the newly appointed Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) at the African Union Commission (AUC), on Tuesday, March 25th, 2025.
The FARA delegation was led by Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director, accompanied by Prof. Wole Fatunbi, Director of Research and Innovation, and Mr. Anselme Vodounhessi, Lead Specialist and the Coordinator of the CAAPs Initiative. On behalf of FARA constituents, Dr. Agumya congratulated H.E. Vilakati on his appointment. He provided an overview of the institutional architecture for agricultural research, extension and higher education on the continent highlighting the roles and linkages among FARA, the subregional agricultural research organizations (ASARECA, CCARDESA, CORAF, NAASRO), AFAAS and RUFORUM through a coalition known as AARIES. He emphasized FARA’s long-standing partnership FARA has had with the AUC and its recognized role as the technical organization of the Commission supporting the generation and scaling of technologies and innovations for transforming the continent’s food system.
Dr Agumya pointed out that the AARIEIs coalition interfaces with end users of its work, namely the farmers’ organizations and policy bodies. It also facilitates the mobilization and sharing of knowledge, innovations and capacity resources through strategic partnerships with the CGIAR—the world’s largest global agricultural research and innovation network—and FAO, and partnerships with research and education systems of other regions of the world, notably the AU-EU Global Gateway agreement within the agricultural framework.
In his remarks, H.E. Moses Vilakati commended FARA’s valuable contributions to Africa’s agricultural development and reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with all relevant partners and stakeholders. He expressed a strong resolve to initiate impactful actions within his first 100 days in office, focusing on four strategic priorities:
- Domestication of the CAADP Kampala Declaration: The Commissioner underscored the importance of translating jointly endorsed instruments and declarations into actionable national policies and investments. He aims to accelerate the integration of the CAADP Kampala Declaration into country-level planning and implementation frameworks to foster productive and resilient agricultural systems.
- Soil Health and Fertility Management: H.E. Vilakati raised concerns over Africa’s low fertilizer use and the urgent need to address challenges around fertilizer production, marketing, and sustainable application. He pledged to champion the full implementation of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan, adopted during the 2024 Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit of the African Union. A key priority will be the reactivation of the Africa Fertilizer Development Center (AFDC) located in Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Seed Systems Development: The Commissioner emphasized the foundational role of robust seed systems in driving agricultural productivity and resilience. He outlined plans to strengthen strategies supporting seed producers and marketers across African countries, focusing on enhancing farmers’ access to high-quality, improved, and affordable seed varieties. In line with this vision, he also proposed the establishment of Africa Seed Banks to ensure the conservation, availability, and timely distribution of diverse seed varieties that meet local agroecological needs and market demands.
- Regional value chain development: Commissioner Vilakati reiterated his vision to drive the transformation of Africa’s food system to a level where the continent can feed itself sustainably. This vision hinges on fostering commercial production, supporting regional value chains, strengthening processing and value addition and promoting intra-African trade in agricultural commodities.
In response, Dr. Agumya assured the Commissioner of FARA’s full support towards the realization of the Commissioner’s transformative vision. He noted that the Commissioner’s priorities are well aligned with FARA-coordinated continental initiatives notably the Soil Initiative for Africa, the Partnership for Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa (PISSA), the Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs), and the CAADP-Kampala Research and Innovation Sub-strategy and action plan.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepen collaboration between the AUC, FARA and the AARIEIs in pursuit of an action-oriented, inclusive, and sustainable agri-food system for Africa.
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